Ugandan Police Disperse Protesters Demanding Lawmakers’ Release

Ugandan police fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration in the capital on Monday as protests against the beating of detained lawmakers continued for the second day.

Police spokesman Emilian Kayima said police had deployed to stop a riot in a downtown Kampala market, adding that violence had erupted in at least three separate parts of the city.

“Some groups of youths have participated in a riot and they are being handled … we’re stopping the riot,” he said.

“Police intervened quickly together with the military to return calm and stabilise the situation,” he added. “We condemn the perpetrators of this violence.”

Footage on local television showed demonstrators setting up bonfires and barricades on Kampala streets and police and military personnel trying to remove the roadblocks. Kayima said 45 people had been arrested over the unrest.